U.S. stock-index futures were little changed Wednesday as traders awaited a batch of economic data and remained concerned over the state of affairs in Washington, D.C.
Today's Markets
As of 7:36 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 19 points to 15266. S&P 500 futures declined 3.25 points to 1689, and Nasdaq 100 futures slid 2.75 points to 3210.
The Dow and broader S&P 500 added a fourth day to their losing streaks on Tuesday amid resurfacing concerns about the Federal Reserve's plan to scale back its massive bond-buying program.
Since the central bank has said its moves will be "data dependent," incoming economic data have taken on increased significance.
Traders will get a look at orders for long-lasting goods from the Commerce Department at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists expect durable goods orders to have slipped 0.4% in August from July as big-ticket transportation orders came under pressure.
The gauge is a lagging indicator, but it can affect investment banks' forecasts for second and third quarter gross domestic product.
Later, at 10:00 a.m. ET, another report from Commerce is expected to show sales of newly-built single-family homes jumped to an annual rate of 416,000 units in August from 394,000 the month prior.
The housing market has been a bright spot in the economic recovery. However, Robert Shiller, an economist at Yale University, told FOX Business Tuesday the "scary" jump in rates this year could stall the progress.
Meanwhile, a fiscal battle brewed in Congress. The Senate could take action on a House-passed bill to avoid a government shutdown.
"There appears to be little scope for an imminent tempering of fiscal uncertainty," analysts at Nomura told clients.
The Japan-based investment bank highlighted the duo of issues the legislature needs to tackle: passing a continuing resolution to keep the government's lights on until December and avoiding a breach of the debt ceiling.
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